Good Uses for Cursed Items [Archive] - Wizards Community

Good Uses for Cursed Items [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Arckon
10-02-04, 11:49 AM Ocassionally one's DM may hand out 'cursed' items instead of the good stuff out of some perverse sense of humor or a comitment to random die rolls, etc.

But nothing is always a bad thing, right?

Thats right, so what I would like to discuss are clever ways of making 'cursed' items useful for you.

Two examples, one out of old DnD 2e and another from 3.5.

There was a magic item called a 'Bag of Beans' which I dont recall how it specifically functioned. But there was a cursed item called 'Bag of Orc Beans', and the way it worked was if you dropped the bean into water, an orc would pop out and start attacking anything nearby. I think this cursed item was a DM original.

Anyway, we once were prowling through a local sheiks harem (dont remember what for) but a handful of guards found us and were in hot pursuit. We climbed to the top of this courtyard and were about to flee along the various roof tops when we saw that there were dozens of guards outside all lookingat the rooftops.

So we were likely to be spotted and had to figure something out. That was when my friend remembered the Bag of Orc Beans he had in his back-pack of Holding. So he took it out and tossed it into the fountain in the center of the courtyard in the harem; and it was a five pound bag.

Yes, we successfully created a diversion and escaped.

Also one could give gifts to rivals or enemies in environemnts where it is not plausible to kill them, such as rival adventuring groups. A ring of alignment change can really hoze a Paladin, or an item that causes flatulent sounds to a rival courtier.

In fact, it is such uses that really rationalize how these darned items came into being in the first place.

So when life gives you lemons, what do you do?

MAKE LEMONADE!
Shard of Suzail
10-02-04, 03:13 PM Harkon Lucas, one of the Lords of ravenloft, had a cursed sword that was always with him. Since he couldnt be rid of it, he learned to use it to his advantage. His favourite recorded trick was leaving it in a tree to make him seem unarmed and trustworthy. Being cursed, however, whenever he became entangled in combat, it always appeared in his hand. So, though it was clumsy, he was always with a handy blade when he needed it.
Lord Stigius
10-02-04, 03:22 PM Putting The Bag of Devouring onto the BBEG's head...
MortalPlague
10-02-04, 03:55 PM One of my PCs carried around a ring of clumsiness for just a situation like that. :P
Nedlum
10-02-04, 06:17 PM Why the Bag of Devouring? Be a Hero, man. Helm of Oppisite Alignment.
White rabbit
10-02-04, 06:40 PM We always kept the bag of devouring to get rid of any other nasty cursed items. :D
Cold Napalm
10-02-04, 08:42 PM Armor of arrow attraction...stand next to the wizard who casts protection from arrows on you. Get deflect arrow feat too if you want.
GingaLord
10-07-04, 05:59 AM used the power of iritation as iching power on my little bros character as a prank in the game. in combat to annoy him.

not a good use i admit but great for comedy pranks and annoying bad guys
Sucineri
10-07-04, 08:48 AM My all time favorite "GOOD Use" of a Cursed Item has to be where you turn a Bag of Devouring into a portable toilet. You make a frame so that the bag rests a good 6 inches under the top of the frame, and then it constantly has something to eat, and you don't have to worry about making a mess anywhere. :)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Arckon 10-02-04, 11:49 AM	Ocassionally one's DM may hand out 'cursed' items instead of the good stuff out of some perverse sense of humor or a comitment to random die rolls, etc. But nothing is always a bad thing, right? Thats right, so what I would like to discuss are clever ways of making 'cursed' items useful for you. Two examples, one out of old DnD 2e and another from 3.5. There was a magic item called a 'Bag of Beans' which I dont recall how it specifically functioned. But there was a cursed item called 'Bag of Orc Beans', and the way it worked was if you dropped the bean into water, an orc would pop out and start attacking anything nearby. I think this cursed item was a DM original. Anyway, we once were prowling through a local sheiks harem (dont remember what for) but a handful of guards found us and were in hot pursuit. We climbed to the top of this courtyard and were about to flee along the various roof tops when we saw that there were dozens of guards outside all lookingat the rooftops. So we were likely to be spotted and had to figure something out. That was when my friend remembered the Bag of Orc Beans he had in his back-pack of Holding. So he took it out and tossed it into the fountain in the center of the courtyard in the harem; and it was a five pound bag. Yes, we successfully created a diversion and escaped. Also one could give gifts to rivals or enemies in environemnts where it is not plausible to kill them, such as rival adventuring groups. A ring of alignment change can really hoze a Paladin, or an item that causes flatulent sounds to a rival courtier. In fact, it is such uses that really rationalize how these darned items came into being in the first place. So when life gives you lemons, what do you do? MAKE LEMONADE!
Shard of Suzail 10-02-04, 03:13 PM	Harkon Lucas, one of the Lords of ravenloft, had a cursed sword that was always with him. Since he couldnt be rid of it, he learned to use it to his advantage. His favourite recorded trick was leaving it in a tree to make him seem unarmed and trustworthy. Being cursed, however, whenever he became entangled in combat, it always appeared in his hand. So, though it was clumsy, he was always with a handy blade when he needed it.
Lord Stigius 10-02-04, 03:22 PM	Putting The Bag of Devouring onto the BBEG's head...
MortalPlague 10-02-04, 03:55 PM	One of my PCs carried around a ring of clumsiness for just a situation like that. :P
Nedlum 10-02-04, 06:17 PM	Why the Bag of Devouring? Be a Hero, man. Helm of Oppisite Alignment.
White rabbit 10-02-04, 06:40 PM	We always kept the bag of devouring to get rid of any other nasty cursed items. :D
Cold Napalm 10-02-04, 08:42 PM	Armor of arrow attraction...stand next to the wizard who casts protection from arrows on you. Get deflect arrow feat too if you want.
GingaLord 10-07-04, 05:59 AM	used the power of iritation as iching power on my little bros character as a prank in the game. in combat to annoy him. not a good use i admit but great for comedy pranks and annoying bad guys
Sucineri 10-07-04, 08:48 AM	My all time favorite "GOOD Use" of a Cursed Item has to be where you turn a Bag of Devouring into a portable toilet. You make a frame so that the bag rests a good 6 inches under the top of the frame, and then it constantly has something to eat, and you don't have to worry about making a mess anywhere. :)